Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Hey guys! I'm sure you've all heard that we are moving down the street by now. I thought I'd post some pictures of the interior of the new place. I couldn't be more excited to see how it's going to look when we have everything set up. SO COOL!!

Friday, March 25, 2011

I know this isn't the latest news, but it has been announced that the current X-Force roster will be venturing into the world of Age of Apocalypse in a future story. I'm not entirely sure how that works. The last I remembered was that AOA came to be because of killing Xavier in the past, thus altering the present. It was set back to normal at the end, thus negating the effect of Xavier being dead, the Age of Apocalypse itself. I would think AOA shouldn't exist anymore, but it looks like it's just it's own alternate universe instead. Anyone that has seen Back to the Future 2 should understand this concept due to Doc Brown's chalkboard diagram.

That's not really what struck me when I came across this promotional image for the upcoming story. It was how dark the Marvel U has become. When AOA first came out, our regular cast of characters received new, deadlier makeovers than what we knew. They were brutal, full of sorrow, and violence. They had really taken characters like Nightcrawler and Cyclops to a different, darker place. However, when I look at the cast from AOA charging at our current X-Force, all I can think is the AOA guys are toast. Seriously, I would bet money on the new X-Force destroying these guys.

Somewhere along the way, I lost sight as to exactly how dark things in the Marvel U have become over the past decade. House of M, Nation X, Skrull Invasions, Osborn's Dark Reign, all of these things have caused our heroes (especially mutants) to become fiercer than they ever have been. When a world that is devestated by Apocalypse just doesn't seem that bad anymore, you know things have gone south.

Now don't get me wrong, I love the current Marvel Universe. I'll gladly eat it up with a spoon. I just wanted to share my thoughts on this. I gladly welcome yours.

Also, since changes to the time stream create alternate universes...can we head back to House of M for a bit. I loved that place.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

I've experienced a bit of comic overload this week. There's so many awesome titles on the shelves, I've found it difficult to not have some type of nerd stroke. Thankfully, I've survived long enough to provide you with a candid look at two titles that really stuck out for me. My my, we are getting so personal you and I.

Captain America #615.1

These .1 issues have been excellent so far, and Captain America 615.1 is no exception. If this story was going to have a title, it would be called "The Return of Steve Rogers." Or it could be called "The Great Noodle Disaster of 2011". Just kidding, it could never be called that. Seriously, though this issue sets into the motion what we all knew would be coming now that the Cap's movie premier looms in the horizon. Steve Rogers will be Captain America once more.

It doesn't feel forced though. We find Steve coming to grips with his new job as head of SHIELD, admitting he misses his previous "life" as Captain America. Meanwhile, private industry has produced a new Captain America to fill the void now that Bucky is off in a Russian prison. This new Cap sets a record for how quickly someone can be caught and tortured by AIM, and Steve ends up saving him. It's simple and to the point, but handled with such grace by Ed Brubaker that it feels important. If you're looking for a great jumping on point for Cap, then this is it.

Green Lantern #64

It's official, I'm interested in Green Lantern again. Despite months of exposition, that I felt like I was drowning in, we're finally getting to the point. Krona has made his move and things look grim for Hal Jordan.

Note that I only said Hal Jordan. That's because most of the book focuses on Hal, which is something I've been missing for the past year (that may be an exaggeration, I just don't have an exact date). I want to know what Hal's thinking and doing, I don't want to hear about every other colored lantern under the sun. This book has that in spades, plus a bad guy that's making some major moves. It's fun, new, and exciting. It's what I've been wanting out of my Green Lantern books.

Will War of the Green Lanterns be as good as Sinestro Corps War or Blackest Night? If this first issue is any indication, I'd say it's on track to be on par with those events. I'm into it guys!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Since today is 3/16, I'd like to to give a "hell yeah" to Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Now on to the comics!

Brightest Day #22

Brightest Day has been a real test of patience for me. I keep telling myself that there is going to be a huge payoff at the end. There will be a moment that will shake the DC Universe to its very core. That this journey has been worth it. This issue does little to assuage my feelings that this whole thing has been a bust.

It's not that things don't happen mind you, Firestorm does fight the Anti-Monitor and a character dies. You are gipped out what looked to be a cool fight though. It just doesn't help answer the bigger question, what the hell is going on?! The lack of information that's been given for this entire series is causing solid single issues to be really frustrating. Throw me a bone here!

Overall, it's not bad issue. With only four issues left of this series, you feel like there would have been more details about the over arching theme.

Fear Itself: Book of the Skull

While I've become frustrated with Brightest Day for its lack of information, Book of the Skull provides me with just enough to get really excited about Fear Itself.

In this prologue issue, we find Sin (the daughter of the original Red Skull) and Baron Zemo entering one of the original Red Skull's old bunkers. Sin is in search of a book that contains the notes to one of her father's greatest failures during World War II, summoning the Norse God of Fear. We're treated to a flashback involving Cap, Bucky , and Namor as they try and thwart the Red Skull before his plan comes to fruition. It's a well crafted story that definitely builds anticipation and how scary this new enemy could be for the heroes of today.

Whether this event will be a bust remains to be seen. If it's as good as this prologue issue, then we'll be talking about this story for years to come. Stop in and check this book out!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

I want you people to understand that I did something very difficult in order to write this for you. I stopped playing the Angry Birds Seasons update. As much as I want to smash those damn pigs into the ground, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't provide you with some reviews. Here we go!

Batman Inc. #3

Oh Batman, I truly love your romp around the globe, setting up Batmen, and fighting strange bad guys. Every page is a surprise with this issue. As you read you may turn the page to find exploding scorpions, Br

uce Wayne dancing, or the motorcycle riding Argentinean super hero,

Gaucho. It keeps you on the edge of your seat or on your toes. It's your choice as to how you want to wait in anticipation. I know I found parts of the book where I wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but I didn't mind. A little mystery is the nature of the beast at this point. It's fun and wild, everything I look for in a Grant Morrison written Batman book. Two thumbs up.

Punisher MAX #11

This is it, the final showdown between Bullseye and The Punisher. I don't know who's more excited for it, the fans or Bullseye himself. You see Bullseye has developed a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Frank over the past few issues. He's been trying to become him in hi

s mind to better understand the man that he's been hired to kill. In doing so, he's discovered something about Frank that could change everything in this fight.

The fight between these two is brutal, but insanely enjoyable. Bullseye is such an oddball and plays off the Punisher's no nonsense attitude perfectly. They're both men of destruction that have been let loose in a way that hasn't been seen in some time. I think these two panels sums it up pretty well.

The ending of this story is excellent and has me looking forward to the next arc. It's good to see this book shipping on time and kicking ass like it's supposed to. If you don't mind some bloody violence, then check this book out.

I know it's the not the most important thing going on in the world right now, but I am enthralled with Charlie Sheen's descent into madness. Everytime he opens his mouth, posts a picture, makes a cake, it's solid gold. To quote Brock Samson from the Venture Brothers "it's like he's channeling dead crazy people." It's a masterpiece of a media spectacle.

Despite my near obsessive compulsive behavior regarding Mr. Sheen, I'm going to take some time to review some of the fine comics that came out this week. Fine wares that are available for purchase at Coast City Comics!

Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1

It's impossible to say anything bad about this book, since it's literally written by a 6 year old child. To insult, or even critique it, is to insult/critique the imagination of a child.

The book is unpredictable, and full of nonsense. It's dialogue and setups are simple, childlike simple, but that's the whole point. It's meant to be like you found a book that you wrote in elementary school and read it again. I don't know about you, but I've always found that experience to be hilarious, and this book is no different.

What makes this better than the book that you created when you were a kid, is the involvement of the writers 30 year old brother. His exaggerated style compliments the insanity of Axe Cop's world perfectly. All the zany characters are full of life and look cool to boot. I can only imagine how much fun it must be to draw this book on a regular basis. I bet plenty of artists would love to see "draw t-rex with chain guns for arms shooting down fighter jets" in their scripts.

Axe Cop is a light-hearted, insane romp through the mind of young cild, and will more than likely make you feel like a child after reading it. I can't recommend it enough.

5 Ronin #1

Some of the Marvel U's most brutal heroes have been re-imagined into the time of feudal Japan. It's something that I would think would have been a meme on an graphic designer forum, but this is a full fledged mini-series. Not that I'm complaining, I love "elseworlds" stories. Out of continuity is usually the best continuity to me.

This issue focuses on Wolverine, with the rest of the series devoting one issue to each of the heroes being featured. We find him roaming the country sides as a ronin, or masterless samurai. The world is changing around him and he's losing hope of finding his new place in the world. It's a story that has been told many times before, and I was actually having flashbacks to Usagi Yojimbo while reading it. Not that saying it's similar to a book about a samurai rabbit is an insult. Usagi is an Eisner award winning masterpiece worthy of praise. The fact that 5 Ronin is similar indicates that this introductory issue is quite good and accomplishes what it set out to do.

An intriguing story, coupled with gritty, detailed art has produced a mini-series that is sure to be talked about in the coming weeks. If you were on the fence about this series, I would encourage you to give it a shot.